NEWINGTON, CT, Jul 19, 2005--Following considerable discussion and
debate, the ARRL Board of Directors has approved a modified set of
recommendations to regulate the use of amateur spectrum by emission
bandwidth rather than by emission mode. Last April, the ARRL Executive
Committee reached consensus on a set of regulation-by-bandwidth
proposals to serve as the basis of an FCC Petition for Rule Making.
Following additional fine tuning based on hundreds of comments from the
amateur community, the Board formally adopted a further-modified plan
at its July 15-16 meeting. The revised plan includes a stipulation that
the League "will promptly undertake a procedure to establish a band
plan to be utilized with the proposed subband allocation petition, and,
until such time as that band plan is in place, the existing band plan
will be in force." ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, remarked after Board's
12-3 vote that improved band planning is critical to the success of the
League's regulation-by-bandwidth proposals and will require the support
of the amateur community at large.

"I think it's fair to say that the Board recognizes that regulation by
bandwidth is not going to work without a spirit of cooperation among
amateurs pursuing different interests," he said, "any more than current
regulations would be adequate without a spirit of cooperation." As one
example, Sumner pointed out that under the current rules, RTTY and data
enthusiasts may, by rule, operate in the low end of the CW subbands.
"They don't, because to do so would disrupt amateur CW," he said.

Sumner has discussed various facets of regulation-by-bandwidth and
detailed the evolution of the ARRL Executive Committee's
recommendations in his "It Seems to Us . . ." editorials in the
September 2004, April 2005 and June 2005 issues of QST. He said that if
the FCC ultimately implements the modified ARRL recommendations,
there's no reason to believe that amateurs will operate right up to the
absolute limit of what the FCC says they may, any more than they do
now.

The regulation-by-bandwidth issue dominated the Board's second meeting
of the year in Windsor, Connecticut. After a great deal of give and
take among its members, the Board ultimately okayed raising the maximum
bandwidth proposed for frequencies below 29 MHz from 3.0 kHz to 3.5
kHz. A provision permitting the continued use of double-sideband AM
with bandwidth of up to 9 kHz was retained.

Significantly, the Board also agreed that maximum permitted bandwidth
should be defined in terms of necessary rather than occupied bandwidth.
In addition, the modified proposal removes the exception for
independent sideband (ISB) emissions--which by all reports are not used
in the Amateur Service--and drops certain mode restrictions on Novice
and Technician class operators.

The ARRL proposal would leave two important FCC rules unchanged.
=A797.307(a) says: "No amateur station transmission shall occupy more
bandwidth than necessary for the information rate and emission type
being transmitted, in accordance with good amateur practice."
=A797.101(a) reads: "In all respects not specifically covered by FCC
Rules each amateur station must be operated in accordance with good
engineering and good amateur practice."

Per the Board's motion, the ARRL Executive Committee will review the
final rule making petition, which will be filed with the FCC at the
Committee's discretion.

The Board began work on the bandwidth concept in 2002, and the League
sought members' comments on specific concepts at several steps along
the way. Many amateurs have expressed concern about interference
between incompatible modes in the most popular HF bands. The EC's
proposals take into account the ARRL's prior "Novice refarming"
petition that includes expansion of some HF 'phone bands, incorporated
in the FCC Notice of Proposed Rule Making in WT Docket 04-140.

In other action, the ARRL Board adopted a resolution to establish an
ARRL VHF/UHF Advisory Committee (VUAC) to address contesting issues
over a period of no more than three years. The new panel, to be
comprised of "exceptionally qualified and recognized members of the
VHF/UHF community," will seek input from VHF/UHF contesting "public,"
identify important issues and "seek the sense of the 'public'" on those
issues.

The Board also adopted five strategies to include in the League's 2006
Operational Plan. These address improvements in the ARRL advocacy
program and members-only features of the Web site, and review and
analysis of ARRL programs.

ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, chaired this month's Board meeting.
Radio Amateurs of Canada President Earle Smith, VE6NM, was a guest of
the Board.

So what? Nobody is perfect. At least they are trying to get it right.
Geez,some people complain about anything the ARRL does. Get a life.

policy-ham wrote:
NEWINGTON, CT, Jul 19, 2005--Following considerable discussion and
debate, the ARRL Board of Directors has approved a modified set of
recommendations to regulate the use of amateur spectrum by emission
bandwidth rather than by emission mode. Last April, the ARRL Executive
Committee reached consensus on a set of regulation-by-bandwidth
proposals to serve as the basis of an FCC Petition for Rule Making.
Following additional fine tuning based on hundreds of comments from the
amateur community, the Board formally adopted a further-modified plan
at its July 15-16 meeting. The revised plan includes a stipulation that
the League "will promptly undertake a procedure to establish a band
plan to be utilized with the proposed subband allocation petition, and,
until such time as that band plan is in place, the existing band plan
will be in force." ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, remarked after Board's
12-3 vote that improved band planning is critical to the success of the
League's regulation-by-bandwidth proposals and will require the support
of the amateur community at large.

"I think it's fair to say that the Board recognizes that regulation by
bandwidth is not going to work without a spirit of cooperation among
amateurs pursuing different interests," he said, "any more than current
regulations would be adequate without a spirit of cooperation." As one
example, Sumner pointed out that under the current rules, RTTY and data
enthusiasts may, by rule, operate in the low end of the CW subbands.
"They don't, because to do so would disrupt amateur CW," he said.

Sumner has discussed various facets of regulation-by-bandwidth and
detailed the evolution of the ARRL Executive Committee's
recommendations in his "It Seems to Us . . ." editorials in the
September 2004, April 2005 and June 2005 issues of QST. He said that if
the FCC ultimately implements the modified ARRL recommendations,
there's no reason to believe that amateurs will operate right up to the
absolute limit of what the FCC says they may, any more than they do
now.

The regulation-by-bandwidth issue dominated the Board's second meeting
of the year in Windsor, Connecticut. After a great deal of give and
take among its members, the Board ultimately okayed raising the maximum
bandwidth proposed for frequencies below 29 MHz from 3.0 kHz to 3.5
kHz. A provision permitting the continued use of double-sideband AM
with bandwidth of up to 9 kHz was retained.

Significantly, the Board also agreed that maximum permitted bandwidth
should be defined in terms of necessary rather than occupied bandwidth.
In addition, the modified proposal removes the exception for
independent sideband (ISB) emissions--which by all reports are not used
in the Amateur Service--and drops certain mode restrictions on Novice
and Technician class operators.

The ARRL proposal would leave two important FCC rules unchanged.
§97.307(a) says: "No amateur station transmission shall occupy more
bandwidth than necessary for the information rate and emission type
being transmitted, in accordance with good amateur practice."
§97.101(a) reads: "In all respects not specifically covered by FCC
Rules each amateur station must be operated in accordance with good
engineering and good amateur practice."

Per the Board's motion, the ARRL Executive Committee will review the
final rule making petition, which will be filed with the FCC at the
Committee's discretion.

The Board began work on the bandwidth concept in 2002, and the League
sought members' comments on specific concepts at several steps along
the way. Many amateurs have expressed concern about interference
between incompatible modes in the most popular HF bands. The EC's
proposals take into account the ARRL's prior "Novice refarming"
petition that includes expansion of some HF 'phone bands, incorporated
in the FCC Notice of Proposed Rule Making in WT Docket 04-140.

In other action, the ARRL Board adopted a resolution to establish an
ARRL VHF/UHF Advisory Committee (VUAC) to address contesting issues
over a period of no more than three years. The new panel, to be
comprised of "exceptionally qualified and recognized members of the
VHF/UHF community," will seek input from VHF/UHF contesting "public,"
identify important issues and "seek the sense of the 'public'" on those
issues.

The Board also adopted five strategies to include in the League's 2006
Operational Plan. These address improvements in the ARRL advocacy
program and members-only features of the Web site, and review and
analysis of ARRL programs.

ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, chaired this month's Board meeting.
Radio Amateurs of Canada President Earle Smith, VE6NM, was a guest of
the Board.

policy-ham wrote:

NEWINGTON, CT, Jul 19, 2005--Following considerable discussion and
debate...(SNIP)

I read it through twice and no where did I read the words "ARRL
Admits Mistakes..." or any other such language.

They DID say they were continuing to "tune" the proposal and were
working with Amateur groups to refine their proposal after their
previous requests for comments.

Isn't that what an essentially democratic organization is supposed
to do?

No where in there did I see "The ARRL 'says-so', therefore that is
that", either.

73

Steve, K4YZ

Where is Policy-Ham proposal ??

IF anyone don't like what arrl is or is not doing,
consider joining arrl and making changes.

Just like NRA or other associations,
everyone complains but stays on the sidelines.